The Mom Crowd

The blogosphere starting club hopping on Friday with 5minutesformom.com’s Ultimate Blog Party. Moms all around the web are introducing themselves and trying not to spill their drinks on each other’s blogs.

We have opened our doors here at The Mom Crowd to welcome you! Please come in, grab a drink from the open bar, and stay a while.

Here is a fabulous video introducing ourselves.

Pull up a comfy booth and enjoy some of our favorite treats:

• 30 Ways to Encourage Your Mom Friends

• What’s In Your Pantry?

• Who’s Your Favorite Celebrity Mom?

• Are you “letting yourself go”?

• Marilla Cuthbert: A Wonderful Maternal Figure

• What to Expect for Your Child’s Surgery

Please leave a comment and let us know that you have been by!

Thanks for coming!

This week I caught the premiere episode of “The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom” on The Learning Channel (new episodes air Mondays at 10/9C). The concept of the show is this: regular, stay-at-home moms are selected to spend a week outside of their familial responsibilities to try doing the job of their dreams. It asks the questions “What if I pursued my dream job instead of becoming a stay at home mom?” “Could I do it?” and “Did I miss out on my true calling?”

After seeing the first episode centered on a SAHM of 10 years, Adrian Stark – who works as a fashion designer in a high-end California boutique for a week while her doctor husband, Bruce, stays home with their three daughters – I found that the show attempts to answer those questions in a bit of a confusing way.

Here are some random observations and reactions to what I saw:

1. It borrowed ideas from several familiar reality t.v. shows. When Adrian skipped town for a few days, she left a six-page to-do list for her hubby to follow – you know, instructions for how to care for the kids full-time. It was reminiscent of “Wife Swap” to see Bruce mocking the list, saying, “Moms take things so seriously!” To which Adrian responded, “If it doesn’t get done, it leads to chaos!” (I agreed with her completely. We moms know what we’re talking about when it comes to nitty-gritty, day-to-day responsibilities!) And as a viewer, I just knew Bruce was being set up to look like an idiot. A few minutes later, visions of “Supernanny” danced through my head as I saw the girls begin to lose control. As daddy kept up his laid-back parenting shtick, the younger daughters fought and threw things, leading to crying and general chaos. And finally, it seemed very “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” every time the “SLSM” truck parked in front of the Stark home. It’s this big, ominous black trailer acting as the “hub” of the show. Hostess Tracey Gold (yep, Carol Seaver in the flesh!) hangs out inside, surrounded by televisions, watching everything that happens like a modern-day “big brother”. It carried Adrian to and from her workplace and magically transformed her into a hip woman every time she stepped out of the truck (regular mom clothes weren’t going to cut it at the Bianca Nero boutique, y’all.)

2. The show required the mom to lie about everything she was doing. I wasn’t a big fan of that bit. I didn’t think it was necessary. Adrian’s husband and daughters were told that she was going to a spa for a few days. There were a few phone calls made to their home before Adrian left, and Adrian had to lie to her family about who it was. The show even provided a pair of black-pantsuit-wearing “assistants” to go into their home to clean and cook dinner while Adrian was out the first day. (I suppose this was all supposed to be in fun with its secret-agent covertness, but the humor was lost on me.) Near the end of the program, Adrian said, “I wanted to be a strong role model for my girls,” and then she sat down with them, saying, “I have to tell you all something. I have been lying to you. I know that’s wrong, but what I was doing was really exciting!” When they saw she had been designing gowns for an upscale boutique that had an occasional celebrity client (most dropped name: “Academy-Award-winning-actress-Jennifer-Hudson”), they all quickly let the dishonesty go. Somehow I don’t think my husband would be as understanding, but hey, that’s just us.

3. The on-the-job scenes were a stressful, high-intensity situation. Adrian was asked to design three dresses in three days (a task not even given on Project Runway!), but I don’t think she actually had to make all of them herself. Even though one designer kept telling her she was welcome at the studio, the others lurked around Adrian, giving off a nervous and strangely stoic vibe. They rarely assisted or gave her any concrete guidelines, but managed to hover over her with critiques and doubtful expressions. It would have made me crazy, but throughout the experience, Adrian did a remarkable job, creating three really pretty gowns in time for a last-minute (of course!) fashion show for some very important clients. The end result? Only one dress passed muster. The other two were “all wrong”. (I felt bad for her.) At the end of the experience, Tracey Gold asked Adrian, “Is the trade-off worth it?” As viewers, we’re led to believe that no, actually it isn’t.

4. The show seemed to imply that being a stay-at-home mom can’t be the dream job. It’s tagline read, “For anyone who has put their dreams on hold.” I can understand that a lot of us don’t always feel called to our position as moms, and sometimes wonder if there isn’t more out there for us. But for many moms, being a mom is their dream fulfilled. I would have enjoyed it if the show had explored this more. Even though Adrian admitted “It’s a beautiful gift to be a stay-at-home mom,” she never really said that much more about it.

5. And she was offered a full-time job at the boutique by week’s end! I’m not sure if it will always work out this way in future episodes. After all we’d seen in the boutique, it didn’t seem too promising for Adrian, so I was wondering if there was any push from the producers to make this happen. In front of her family, Adrian was offered the job and told she had two hours to accept. Not only that, she’d have to start the following Monday. Talk about a big decision! And in such an environment of heightened intensity. It’s like going on a dating show and saying that the man you just met is your soulmate… when actually, it’s not such a great fit once the t.v. cameras go away. Adrian did accept the job, and it ends with the family in excited agreement that her dream finally came true. I just can’t help but wonder what’ll happen to their family’s dynamics now. The girls have never been in day care before.

So while it was interesting viewing, I felt conflicted when it was all over. Is the message in “The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom” that being a stay-at-home mom isn’t good enough? Am I a less interesting person because I’d rather raise my kids myself instead of pursuing a full-time dream job? And will all of the moms in future episodes readily abandon their posts to take the glitzy job that might be offered to them?

Did any of you watch this show? What did you think? (p.s. Even in the closing credits, Tracey Gold was still hunkered down in the stealth-mobile, watching everyone on those tv’s!)

• 10 Things I’ve Learned from Being a Mom – Jaimee wrote a wonderful post describing all the things we can relate to about being a mom. Every word of it is true. Especially #4.

• Tales from Labor and Delivery Blog – Have you seen this blog yet? Seriously, great stuff. The blog is written by a Labor and Delivery nurse and she shares her experiences and stories. I really find people’s birth stories interesting. If you have a sense of humor – Check it out!

• Share Baby Einstein with your baby and get moving! – My Readable Feast shares their thoughts on the controversy of Baby Einstein videos. I think she makes a valid point about using them as a tool rather than a constant babysitter.

• 5 Foods to Rejuvenate Your Body – Wellness Junction shares five foods to help your energy level. I know I need all the energy I can get to keep chasing my baby now that she is on the move. This also gives me another reason to put garlic in everything I eat. My husband loves that. Ha!

• Oprah’s Big Joke…oh I mean Give – Firemans_wife on CafeMom.com explains her passionate take on Oprah’s new reality show, The Big Give.. I haven’t seen the show. I only saw bits of them talking about it on Oprah the next day. From Firemans_wife’s perspective the show really isn’t helping those in need and the motives of the contestants are all wrong.

• Top 10 Things Not to Say to New Mothers – This article is mostly for new dads, but we can all get a laugh out of it. I have so experienced the first point, ” When you come home from work and your wife is sitting on the couch with your newborn in the exact same position you last saw her nine hours ago, don’t ask ‘What did you do all day? How come you didn’t take a shower yet?’ ” Ha!

• The Ultimate Blog Party! – The Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5MinutesforMoms.com begins this Friday. It is being held March 7 – 14. Be sure to come by Monday and check out our party post. We’ll have some great food on the grill and music pumping. Maybe some karaoke (just kidding!). For more details check out their instructions.

In an attempt to motivate myself to get back in shape, I signed up for a 5K race which is equal to 3.1 miles. I had no idea how fun this accomplishment was going to be and strongly encourage you to try it. I decided about two months ago to run this race and I committed to run three times a week. I started off only running a mile at a time, and worked myself up to the full 3.1 miles. I charted how many miles I ran so I could look back and see how well I was doing and how much I was improving. I also got some great music for my Mp3 player to keep me from getting bored during the runs. Boredom is my greatest obstacle with running, however, frequently changing my music kept me from getting too bored.

Running has been great for my mental health and my physical health. I have more energy, patience, and room in my jeans since I’ve started running again. As parents, it’s very important for us to set good examples of physical activity and exercise for our children. It made me happy that my children were at an event that was focused on physical activity and hope that I will model the importance of exercise to them as they grow older. Running a 5K race is a goal that is very attainable for most people. 3.1 miles may sound like a long distance to a person who hasn’t laced up their running shoes in a while (or ever), but it is not as hard to work your way up to it as you may think. I was surprised to see the wide variety of people running the 5K race. I was expecting everyone (except myself) to be in perfect shape. There obviously were a lot of seasoned runners, but there was also many people of all shapes and sizes. There were children running the race with their parents, moms AND dads pushing their younger children in joggers, one man who was pushed in his wheelchair by some friends, and another man who ran with an artificial leg. I was overwhelmed by knowing the sense of accomplishment so many of us had by running that race and proud of every single person on the course!

If you want to try a 5K race (or 10K, half-marathon, or marathon!), you can google running events in your area. If you are having a hard time finding an event, head over to your local running store or gym and ask if they have a list of running events in your area. I found my event through this site.

As you consider running your first (or subsequent) 5K race, here’s some advice I can share with you based on my experience:

• Recruit some friends to run it with you. This will keep you motivated and any experience is more fun with someone to share it with you!
• Sign up early for the race! Most races do not offer refunds if you end up not showing up. By paying early, you will be less likely to flake out.
• Practice off the treadmill before the race. It is a little more difficult to set your pace when your running off the treadmill. Next time, I will make sure to practice pacing myself before race day!
• Bring an extra ponytail holder. During my practice runs, my ponytail holders had a habit of breaking and I would have to stop to try to tie a knot in the ponytail holder so I could tie my hair back. For the race, I stuck an extra ponytail holder around my wrist just in case I had my ponytail holder snap during my run.
• It’s ok to walk. I stopped to drink my water, and I think just that five seconds of drinking my water revived me for the remainder of the race!
• Find a good (free) training schedule online. I love Hal Higdon’s 5-K Training Program.
• Check out the course in person before the day of the race. Our course was advertised as flat, but it was actually hilly in some areas.
• Set a goal. I set a goal to finish the race in under 30 minutes. When I was able to see the finish line, I knew I had to book it to make my time and I did! I finished my 5K in 29 minutes, 40 seconds and am happy to have met my goal!
• Reward yourself! After the race, my friends and I headed to Starbucks for some socializing and coffee. Give yourself a major pat on the back, and don’t be afraid to do a little bragging. Not everyone can say they’ve run a 5K, and you deserve to be proud of yourself!

Here’s some more sites:

The Couch to 5K Training Plan

Hal Hidgon’s 5K Training Program

Training Tips for Your First 5K

When my oldest, Ewan, was a baby he would eat ANYTHING! Asparagus, kale, broccoli, peas, spinach, carrots, you name it. Well, he is 4 years old now and vegetables don’t have the same appeal they once had. What can I say, he’s acting his age. Surprisingly, the things he LOVED as a baby are not as fun to eat now. He actually prefers raw vegetables these days to cooked ones. Isaac, my 3 year old, eats a bigger variety of food than Ewan, including vegetables. I have been worried about whether or not Ewan gets enough veges in his diet. He would eat bread, pasta, and rice until he turned into a giant carbohydrate if we let him! I personally have a hard time getting the recommended amount of vegetables in my own diet. It is always easy to include vegetables at dinner time but I have a harder time for lunch.

It is because of this that I was interested in the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I had heard about it several months ago and put it in my mental catalogue of cookbooks to try. Then some friends were telling me about it and some of the recipes and I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. When my friend, Kim (who has 4 kids), shared that her kids were gobbling up the food she was cooking I got excited!

The way it works and the reason it is called “Deceptively Delicious” is because you add pureed vegetables to the recipes. It doesn’t affect the flavor in an obvious way but you get some of the extra veggies you need. The book has some great information in it on how the different vegetables are helpful to our bodies. She has a thorough list of foods to keep on hand in your pantry in order to make the recipes from the book. After reading over the list I noticed the things she recommends are items that I usually have on hand anyway. For example, whole wheat flour, whole wheat tortillas, parmesan cheese, brown rice, whole grain pastas, wheat germ, cottage cheese, chicken broth, canned beans. The list is much longer but that gives you an idea of what is required of the recipes. The only thing that I don’t normally keep on hand and needed to get was Flax Seed meal. Flax seeds provide omega-3 fatty acids to your diet which is a great alternative if you aren’t a fish eater. They are good for your bones and your heart.

(more…)